The German Review

The German Review

The last great anarchist of children's literature

Germany's beloved children's author turned a violent childhood and a lifelong relationship with alcohol into stories of anarchic humour, dark fantasy and timeless appeal.

Jörg Luyken's avatar
Jörg Luyken
Nov 07, 2026
∙ Paid

Dear Reader,

There is a scene in the Danish film Another Round in which a hard-drinking teacher asks his students to choose between three candidates for political leadership: a lying, partially paralysed womaniser; a cigar-smoking alcoholic; and a vegetarian war hero. The students pick the last candidate.

It turns out they have discarded Franklin Roosevel…

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